1.Invites Parties to enhance coordination among their respective biodiversity-related convention national focal points, in order to identify national priorities in support of the implementation of the various biodiversity-related conventions that are aligned with the Strategic Plan for Biodiversity 2011-2020 and with the implementation of the Aichi Biodiversity Targets, and incorporate them into their national biodiversity strategies and action plans;
2.Invites the governing bodies of the various biodiversity-related conventions:
(a)To provide elements of advice, as appropriate, concerning the funding of the national priorities referred to in the paragraph above, within their respective mandates and in accordance with the mandate of the Global Environment Facility, and the Memorandum of Understanding between the Conference of the Parties to the Convention and the Council of the Global Environment Facility as per
decision III/8, that may be referred to the Global Environment Facility through the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity;
(b)To request their respective secretariats to transmit such advice in a timely manner to the Executive Secretary of the Convention on Biological Diversity;
3.Requests the Executive Secretary of the Convention on Biological Diversity to include any advice received in accordance with paragraph 2 above into the documentation for the appropriate agenda item, for consideration by the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity at its next meeting;
4.Also requests the Executive Secretary of the Convention on Biological Diversity to further liaise with the various biodiversity-related conventions and the Global Environment Facility in order to find ways to facilitate the efforts of Parties as indicated in paragraph 1 above;
5.Decides, with a view to further streamlining guidance to the Global Environment Facility, to review proposed new guidance to avoid or reduce repetitiveness, to consolidate previous guidance where appropriate and to prioritize guidance in the context of the Aichi Biodiversity Targets;
6.Welcomes the sixth replenishment package for the Global Environment Facility Trust Fund, and encourages Parties to submit project proposals to the Global Environment Facility in line with their national priorities and the guidance from the Conference of the Parties;
7.Encourages Parties to promote co-financing, in line with the response of the Global Environment Facility to
decision XI/5, paragraph 5, and projects that benefit from synergies and the multi-focal area approach in using Global Environment Facility resources;
8.Invites the Global Environment Facility to take the following action in order to further improve the effectiveness of the financial mechanism:
(a)Enhance its catalytic role in mobilizing new and additional financial resources while not compromising project goals;
(b)In collaboration with the Global Environment Facility agencies and Parties, continue to streamline the project cycle as suggested by the Independent Evaluation Office of the Global Environment Facility in the fifth Overall Performance Study;
159
(c)Coordinate with the Secretariat of the Convention on Biological Diversity on how to better measure progress in achieving the Aichi Biodiversity Targets by initiatives supported by the Global Environment Facility, taking into account the agreed GEF-6 portfolio-level indicators;
(d)Explore ways to balance the comprehensiveness and conciseness of the report of the Global Environment Facility, acknowledging the need to demonstrate progress in programming resources towards achievement of the Aichi Biodiversity Targets;
(e)Make available a preliminary draft of its report to the Conference of the Parties, particularly focusing on the response of the Global Environment Facility to previous guidance from the Conference of the Parties, to the Subsidiary Body on Implementation prior to the meeting of the Conference of the Parties at which the report will be formally considered, with a view to promoting effective and timely consideration of the information provided in the report;
9.Encourages the Executive Secretary and the Chief Executive Officer of the Global Environment Facility to continue to strengthen inter-secretariat cooperation and collaborate with the Independent Evaluation Office of the Global Environment Facility and the Global Environment Facility agencies;
10.Requests the Executive Secretary to explore and report on ways in which the Conference of the Parties can best utilize the Strategic Plan for Biodiversity 2011-2020 and the Convention’s Protocols to set priorities for the financial mechanism within the context of the four-year framework of programming priorities for GEF-7 and to submit the report to the Subsidiary Body on Implementation for its consideration at its first meeting;
11.Decides, in anticipation of the seventh replenishment of the Global Environment Facility Trust Fund, to undertake, at its thirteenth meeting, the second determination of funding requirements for the implementation of the Convention and its Protocols, in line with the terms of reference contained in the annex to the present decision;
12.Requests the Global Environment Facility to indicate in its report to the thirteenth meeting of the Conference of the Parties, how it plans to respond to the report on the first determination of funding requirements, noted in
decision XI/5, pursuant to paragraph 5.2 of the Memorandum of Understanding;
13.Welcomes the creation of programmes 5 and 8 in the GEF-6 biodiversity focal area strategy, reflecting the importance of the Cartagena and the Nagoya Protocols, and invites Parties to prioritize projects accordingly;
14.Encourages Parties to develop and submit multi-focal area projects for Global Environment Facility funding in order to give adequate attention to all the issues of the Convention and its Protocols;
C.Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety
15.Taking note of
decision BS-VII/5,
invites the financial mechanism to implement the following guidance
160 considered and adjusted by the Conference of the Parties for consistency with Article 21 of the Convention:
(a)To support, in view of the experience gained during the second national reporting process, the following activities within the Biodiversity Focal Area Set Aside for eligible Parties, in particular those that have reported to the Compliance Committee difficulties in complying with the Protocol, with a view to fulfilling their national reporting obligation under the Protocol:
(i)Preparation of the third national reports under the Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety, in accordance with paragraph 2 (g) of
decision BS-VI/5;
(ii)Preparation, by Parties that have not yet done so, of their first national reports under the Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety, in accordance with decision BS-V/14;
(b)To support the following activities of eligible Parties within Programme 5 on Implementing the Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety under the Biodiversity Focal Area:
(i)Implementation of national biosafety frameworks, in accordance with paragraph 2 (h) of
decision BS-VI/5;
(ii)Supporting capacity-building activities in the thematic work related to the Strategic Plan for Biodiversity 2011-2020, taking into account the capacity-building needs of eligible Parties;
(iii)Supporting the ratification and implementation of the Nagoya – Kuala Lumpur Supplementary Protocol on Liability and Redress, including, inter alia, capacity-building, information sharing and awareness-raising activities;
(c)To consider mechanisms for:
(i)Supporting the updating and finalization of national biosafety frameworks;
(ii)Facilitating access to Global Environment Facility funding for projects supporting the implementation of the Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety;
(iii)Increasing the level of utilization of Global Environment Facility funding for biosafety;
and report to the Conference of the Parties at its thirteenth meeting;
(d)To promptly address the need for capacity-building for the use of the Biosafety Clearing-House of all eligible Parties not yet supported;
(e)To support Parties in the collection of national data and conducting consultations on the third national reports;
(f)To provide support to implement the capacity-building activities referred to in paragraph 13 of
decision BS-VII/12 on risk assessment and risk management;
(g)To support capacity-building activities on socioeconomic considerations as specified in paragraphs 2 (n) and (o) of
decision BS-VI/5 (appendix II to
decision XI/5 of the Conference of the Parties);
D.Nagoya Protocol on access and benefit-sharing
16.Taking note of
decision NP-1/6,
invites the financial mechanism to implement the following guidance
161 considered by the Conference of the Parties:
Policy and strategy
17.Takes note of the consolidated guidance to the financial mechanism related to policy and strategy adopted in
decision X/24, and
invites the Conference of the Parties to review, and as appropriate, revise this guidance to take into account new developments such as the entry into force of the Nagoya Protocol;
Programme priorities
18.Requests the Global Environment Facility:
(a)To support activities contained in the guidance that the Conference of the Parties provided to the Global Environment Facility in its
decision XI/5, annex, appendix 1;
(b)To make financial resources available with a view to assisting eligible Parties in preparing their national reports;
(c)To support activities related to implementing the awareness-raising strategy for early action on Article 21 of the Protocol;
Eligibility criteria
19.Decides that all developing countries, in particular the least developed and small island developing States, as well as countries with economies in transition, which are Parties to the Nagoya Protocol, are eligible for funding by the Global Environment Facility in accordance with its mandate;
20.Adopts the following transitional clause in the eligibility criteria for funding under the financial mechanism of the Protocol:
‘Developing countries, in particular the least developed countries and small island developing States among them, and countries with economies in transition that are Parties to the Convention and provide a clear political commitment towards becoming Parties to the Protocol, shall also be eligible for funding by the Global Environment Facility for up to four years after the Nagoya Protocol has entered into force for the development of national measures and institutional capabilities in order to enable them to become a Party. Evidence of such political commitment, accompanied by indicative activities and expected milestones, shall take the form of a written assurance to the Executive Secretary that the country intends to become a Party to the Nagoya Protocol on completion of the activities to be funded.’
E.Other guidance to the financial mechanism
Customary sustainable use
21.Invites Parties, other Governments, international organizations, programmes and funds, including the Global Environment Facility, to provide funds and technical support to developing country Parties and indigenous and local communities for implementation of programmes and projects that promote customary sustainable use of biological diversity;
Marine and coastal biological diversity
22.Recalling paragraph 20 of
decision X/29 and taking into account paragraph 7 of Article 20 of the Convention, as appropriate,
invites the Global Environment Facility to continue to extend support for capacity-building to developing countries, in particular the least developed countries and small island developing States, as well as countries with economies in transition, in order to further accelerate existing efforts towards achieving the Aichi Biodiversity Targets in marine and coastal areas;
Biodiversity and tourism development
23.Invites the Global Environment Facility and other donors, as appropriate, to continue to provide funding to support sustainable tourism that contributes to the objectives of the Convention;
Annex
TERMS OF REFERENCE FOR A FULL ASSESSMENT OF THE AMOUNT OF FUNDS NEEDED FOR THE IMPLEMENTATION OF THE CONVENTION AND ITS PROTOCOLS FOR THE SEVENTH REPLENISHMENT PERIOD OF THE TRUST FUND OF THE GLOBAL ENVIRONMENT FACILITY
Objective
1.The objective of the work to be carried out under the present terms of reference is to enable the Conference of the Parties to make an assessment of the amount of funds that are necessary to assist developing countries and countries with economies in transition, in accordance with the guidance provided by the Conference of the Parties, in fulfilling their commitments under the Convention and its Protocols over the seventh Global Environment Facility replenishment cycle, and determine the amount of resources needed, in accordance with Article 21, paragraph 1 and
decision III/8.
Scope
2.The assessment of funding needs for the implementation of the Convention and its Protocols should be comprehensive and primarily directed towards assessing total funding needs required to meet agreed full incremental costs of measures that developing country Parties and Parties with economies in transition, implement in accordance with the guidance provided by the Conference of the Parties to fulfil their obligations under the Convention and its Protocols for the period July 2018 to June 2022.
Methodology
3.The funding needs assessment should take into account:
(a)Article 20, paragraph 2, and Article 21, paragraph 1, of the Convention, as well as the Strategic Plan for Biodiversity 2011-2020;
(b)Guidance to the financial mechanism from the Conference of the Parties which calls for future financial resources;
(c)All obligations under the Convention and its Protocols and relevant decisions adopted by the Conference of the Parties;
(d)The information communicated to the Conference of the Parties in the national reports and, information provided by the Parties through the financial reporting framework;
(e)Rules and guidelines agreed by the Council of the Global Environment Facility for determining eligibility for funding of projects;
(f)National strategies, plans or programmes developed in accordance with Article 6 of the Convention;
(g)Experience to date, including limitations and successes of projects funded by the Global Environment Facility, as well as the performance of the Facility and its implementing and executing agencies;
(h)Synergies with other Global Environment Facility-funded Conventions;
(i)Synergies with other biodiversity-related Conventions;
(j)The strategy for resource mobilization and its targets;
(k)The second report of the High level Panel on the Global Assessment of Resources for Implementing the Strategic Plan for Biodiversity 2011-2020 and its recommendations;
(l)National biodiversity strategies and action plans, where available.
Procedures for implementation
4.Under the authority and with the support of the Conference of the Parties, the Executive Secretary shall contract a team of five experts, with two from developing country Parties, two from developed country Parties, and one from international non-governmental organizations, to prepare a report on the full assessment of funding necessary and available for the implementation of the Convention for the period July 2018 to June 2022, in accordance with the above objective and methodology.
5.In preparing the assessment report, the expert team should undertake such interviews, surveys, quantitative and qualitative analyses, and consultation, as may be required, including:
(a)Compilation and analysis of the needs identified in national biodiversity strategies and action plans, including country-specific resource mobilization strategies, prepared by Parties pursuant to Article 6 of the Convention;
(b)Review of reports submitted by Parties pursuant to Article 26 of the Convention to identify funding needs in fulfilment of their obligations under the Convention;
(c)Estimated financial implications of guidance to the financial mechanism from the Conference of the Parties;
(d)Experience to date in the provision of funds by the financial mechanism for each replenishment period;
(e)Additional funding needs for the period July 2018 to June 2022 arising out of the national implementation of the Strategic Plan for Biodiversity 2011-2020;
(f)Compilation and analysis of any supplementary information provided by Parties which are developing countries or countries with economies in transition on their funding needs for the implementation of their obligations under the Convention and its Protocols.
6.The Global Environment Facility and the Executive Secretary should conduct a review of the draft assessment reports of the expert team to ensure accuracy and consistency of data and approach as specified in these terms of reference.
7.The Executive Secretary shall strive to ensure that the assessment report of the expert team will be distributed to all Parties one month before the first meeting of the Subsidiary Body on Implementation.
8.The Subsidiary Body on Implementation at its first meeting should consider the expert team’s assessment report and make recommendations for consideration by the Conference of the Parties at its thirteenth meeting.
9.The Conference of the Parties, at its thirteenth meeting, will take a decision on the assessment of the amount of funds that are necessary for the implementation of the Convention and its Protocols for the seventh replenishment period of the Trust Fund of the Global Environment Facility, and communicate the results to the Global Environment Facility accordingly.
Consultation process
10.In preparing the assessment report, the expert team should consult widely with all relevant persons and institutions and other relevant sources of information deemed useful.
11.The expert team should design a questionnaire on funding needs for the period July 2018 to June 2022 and circulate it to all Parties to the Convention, and the Secretariat, Independent Evaluation Office and agencies of the Global Environment Facility, and include the results in the assessment report.
12.Interviews and consultation meetings should be organized with participation of relevant key stakeholders, including major groups of Parties, the Convention Secretariat, as well as the secretariat, Independent Evaluation Office and agencies of the Global Environment Facility
13.As far as possible, the expert team should endeavour to undertake regional and subregional consultations, taking advantage of regional and subregional workshops organized by the secretariats of the Convention and the Global Environment Facility during the study period.
14.The approaches to assessing the funding necessary and available for the implementation of the Convention and its Protocols should be transparent, reliable and replicable, and demonstrate clear incremental cost reasoning in accordance with Article 20, paragraph 2, taking into consideration information gathered from other international funds serving conventions and information submitted by Parties in the application of the concept of incremental costs as well as current rules and guidelines of the Global Environment Facility as approved by the Council of the Global Environment Facility.
15.The expert team should address additional issues that may be raised by the Subsidiary Body on Implementation during its consideration of the assessment report at its first meeting.
Appendix I
GUIDANCE RECEIVED FROM THE CONFERENCE OF THE PARTIES SERVING AS THE MEETING OF THE PARTIES TO THE CARTAGENA PROTOCOL ON BIOSAFETY 162
The Conference of the Parties serving as the meeting of the Parties to the Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety,
Noting the report submitted by the Council of the Global Environment Facility to Conference of the Parties at its twelfth meeting,
163
Noting also
decision XI/4 of the Conference of the Parties and
recommendation 5/10 of the Ad Hoc Open-ended Working Group on Review of Implementation of the Convention regarding the review of implementation of the strategy for resource mobilization in support of the achievement of the three objectives of the Convention, including the establishment of targets,
I.Global Environment Facility support for the Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety
1.Notes with concern the low number of projects and the total amount of funding requested by Parties from the Global Environment Facility to support implementation of the Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety during the fifth replenishment (Global Environment Facility-5) period;
2.Welcomes the sixth replenishment of the Global Environment Facility Trust Fund and expresses its appreciation to the countries that contributed to the sixth replenishment;
3.Also welcomes the Global Environment Facility-6 Biodiversity Focal Area Strategy,
164 which includes Programme 5 on Implementing the Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety, and
takes note of the indicative programming targets for the various Biodiversity Focal Area objectives and programmes;
4.Urges eligible Parties to prioritize biosafety projects during the programming of their Global Environment Facility-6 national allocations under the System for Transparent Allocation of Resources (STAR), taking into account their obligations under the Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety, the Strategic Plan for the Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety for the period 2011-2020, and the guidance of the Conference of the Parties to the financial mechanism;
5.Encourages Parties to explore the possibility of incorporating biosafety activities into multi-focal-area projects, including the proposed “integrated approach pilots”, as well as projects to be developed under the other biodiversity focal area programmes;
6.Also encourages Parties to cooperate at the regional and subregional levels and to request support from the Global Environment Facility for joint projects in order to maximize synergies and opportunities for cost-effective sharing of resources, information, experiences and expertise;
7.Invites Parties and other Governments to engage in activities to raise awareness of relevant government officials (including Global Environment Facility operational focal points) regarding the importance of biosafety and the national obligations under the Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety with a view to ensuring due consideration of biosafety in the programming of the national Global Environment Facility allocations for biodiversity;
8.Urges Parties to improve their efforts to access funding for biosafety projects from the Global Environment Facility, inter alia, through better coordination between Cartagena Protocol national focal points, CBD national focal points, and Global Environment Facility operational focal points;
9.Also urges Parties to cooperate in organizing regional workshops with a view to raising awareness of the Cartagena Protocol as a tool for sustainable development and the importance of fulfilling obligations under the Protocol; identifying available local or regional capacities that may be utilized; and designing projects that have a better chance of being approved;
10.Further urges Parties and invites other Governments to integrate and prioritize biosafety within their national biodiversity strategies and action plans and national development plans and programmes, as appropriate;
11.Encourages the agencies of the Global Environment Facility to make sufficient provisions to support eligible Parties in developing and implementing biosafety projects;
12.Requests the Executive Secretary to communicate with the Global Environment Facility operational focal points concerning the need to consider programming part of the national Global Environment Facility allocation to support national implementation of the Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety, which is a binding international agreement under the Convention on Biological Diversity, taking into account paragraph 1 of decision BS-VI/5 and the fact that the Global Environment Facility is the financial mechanism for the Protocol;
13.Invites the Global Environment Facilities Agencies and other relevant organizations to organize regional and subregional workshops for the Cartagena Protocol and the Convention national focal points, the Global Environment Facility operational focal points and relevant stakeholders to strengthen their capacities and foster sharing of experiences and lessons learned regarding Global Environment Facility funding for biosafety projects;
II.Further guidance to the financial mechanism
14.Recommends that the Conference of the Parties, in adopting its further guidance to the financial mechanism with respect to support for the implementation of the Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety, invite the Global Environment Facility:
(a)To fund, in view of the experience gained during the second national reporting process, the following activities within the Biodiversity Focal Area Set Aside for eligible Parties, in particular those that have reported to the Compliance Committee difficulties in complying with the Protocol, with a view to fulfilling their national reporting obligation under the Protocol:
(i)Preparation of the third national reports under the Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety, in accordance with paragraph 2 (g) of
decision BS-VI/5;
(ii)Preparation, by Parties that have not yet done so, of their first national reports under the Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety, in accordance with decision BS-V/14;
(b)To fund the following activities of eligible Parties within Programme 5 on Implementing the Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety under the Biodiversity Focal Area:
(i)Implementation of national biosafety frameworks, in accordance with paragraph 2 (h) of
decision BS-VI/5;
(ii)Supporting capacity-building activities in the thematic work related to the Strategic Plan, taking into account the capacity-building needs of eligible Parties;
(iii)Supporting the ratification and implementation of the Nagoya – Kuala Lumpur Supplementary Protocol on Liability and Redress, including, inter alia, capacity-building, information sharing and awareness-raising activities.
(c)To consider mechanisms for:
(i)Supporting the updating and finalization of national biosafety frameworks;
(ii)Facilitating access to Global Environment Facility funding for projects supporting the implementation of the Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety;
(iii)Increasing the level of utilization of Global Environment Facility funding for biosafety;
and report to the Conference of the Parties at its thirteenth meeting;
(d)To promptly evaluate the BCH III project, currently under development, addressing the need for capacity-building for the use of the Biosafety Clearing-House of all eligible Parties not yet supported through the implementation of the previous United Nations Environment Programme-Global Environment Facility BCH I and II projects;
(e)To support Parties in the collection of national data and conducting consultations on the third national reports;
(f)To provide funds to implement the capacity-building activities referred to in paragraph 13 of
decision BS-VII/12 on risk assessment and risk management;
(g)To support capacity-building activities on socio-economic considerations as specified in paragraphs 2 (n) and (o) of
decision BS-VI/5 (appendix II of
decision XI/5 of the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity).
Mobilization of additional resources
15.Invites the Conference of the Parties at its twelfth meeting to take into consideration resource mobilization for the implementation of the Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety in its consideration of agenda item 14 on resource mobilization;
16.Urges Parties that have not yet done so to expedite the enactment of their national biosafety laws to pave the way for securing dedicated funding allocations for biosafety in their national budgets;
17.Also urges Parties and invites other Governments to implement, as appropriate, the following strategic measures within the overall framework of the strategy for resource mobilization in support of the Convention on Biological Diversity, with a view to mobilizing additional financial resources for implementation of the Protocol:
(a)Mainstream biosafety into the national development plans, such as Economic Development and Poverty Reduction Strategies, to make possible to secure national budget support;
(b)Establish strong outreach programmes targeting key policymakers, parliamentarians, the general public and other stakeholders, to promote their awareness of biosafety issues and raise the profile of biosafety among other national priorities;
(c)Strengthen the capacity of the personnel dealing with biosafety to effectively engage and encourage policymakers, decision makers and officials from other sectors about the importance of biosafety and to secure their support;
(d)Identify “biosafety champions” to promote awareness and greater understanding of biotechnology and its regulation among the public and parliamentarians;
(e)Link biosafety to the issues of national concerns and priorities for each country so as to attract the attention of policymakers;
18.Requests the Executive Secretary, subject to the availability of funds, to take into account biosafety concerns when providing technical support and guidance and capacity-building, including through regional and subregional workshops, in order to assist Parties to identify their funding needs and gaps in biosafety and to integrate biosafety in the development of their national resource mobilization strategies for the implementation of the objectives of the Convention on Biological Diversity.
